Middlesex County Nursing Home Abuse Attorney

You placed your loved one into a nursing home in hopes that he or she would receive better care than you could provide yourself. It is devastating to learn that a spouse or relative is being abused or neglected by the people who are supposed to protect and support them, but your family doesn’t have to face the problem alone. If you’re worried your loved one is the victim of cruel treatment or negligent care at a facility in Middlesex County, nursing home abuse lawyer Brent Wieand can help.

As the creator of The Nursing Home Injury Help Center website, attorney Brent Wieand is committed to aggressively investigating care facilities for abuse, neglect, and noncompliance with state and federal laws. Brent proudly serves all of Middlesex County, including Carteret, East Brunswick Township, Edison Township, Monroe Township, New Brunswick, North Brunswick Township, Old Bridge Township, Perth Amboy, Piscataway Township, Sayreville, South Brunswick Township and Woodbridge Township.

For a free and confidential consultation contact Brent at (215) 666-7777 today.

Nursing Home Abuse Claims Our Lawyers Handle

Our legal team understands that every claim is unique. Attorney Brent Wieand handles wrongful death lawsuits and a wide array of personal injury claims throughout Middlesex County. Some of the most common types of legal claims we see at our practice include:

Amputations — Amputations are often the result of poorly managed diabetes. With proper monitoring and supervision, amputations do not typically become necessary. This is a last-resort treatment for advanced diabetes which has destroyed circulation in the affected limb.

Bedsores (Decubitis Ulcers, Pressure Ulcers) — If your loved one has developed bedsores, unfortunately abuse or nursing home neglect is probably to blame. Bedsores often form because a bed-bound patient’s sheets go unchanged for long periods of time, or because staff members do not turn or move bed-bound residents.

Bone Fractures — Senior citizens are at an increased risk for bone fractures due to difficulty balancing, weakened muscles, and reduced bone density. Major hip fractures often require invasive corrective surgery which can become infected or lead to other health issues.

Elopement (Wandering) — Patients should never be allowed to wander off the facility’s premises without appropriate supervision. Unsupervised residents, particularly those who suffer from dementia or Alzheimer’s, are at a high risk for being robbed, assaulted, lost, or struck by cars. Wandering or elopement from the premises almost always points to under-staffing, or staff members who are careless and inattentive.

Frequent Falls — Many seniors are put into homes because their families cannot prevent dangerous falls. It is simply unacceptable that staff members should fail to provide the basic support necessary to prevent slip and fall accidents among residents with known fall risk issues. The CDC reports that falls are to blame for a staggering 95% of all hip fractures among America’s elderly.

Medication Errors — Most elderly individuals depend on at least one daily medication to counteract deadly illnesses or heart conditions. If medical staff forget to administer a dose, fail to foresee fatal drug interactions, mix up separate prescriptions, or even deliberately over-medicate a “problem” resident, the result can be serious injury or wrongful death.

Sexual Abuse — Warning signs of sexual abuse include a limping gait, bouts of depression, anger, fearfulness, or crying, and feeling too sore to sit or lie down. Sexual abuse victims, especially those from older generations, often keep silent due to feelings of shame or guilt. It’s important to gently encourage your loved one to talk openly about how they are being treated at their home.

Compensation for Injury and Wrongful Death Victims

Each state has its own laws regarding compensation for plaintiffs in personal injury and wrongful death cases. In New Jersey, there are two main types of compensation, or “damages,” which may be available: compensatory damages, and punitive damages. Compensatory damages are designed strictly to compensate the plaintiff, and can be ordered to cover a wide variety of losses, hardships, and expenses stemming from the incident.

For example, compensatory damages can be ordered to compensate pain and suffering, loss of income, and medical expenses such as surgeries, therapy, prescription drugs, and medical devices like back braces or walkers. These damages may also compensate the need to purchases services the plaintiff can no longer perform. For example, if the plaintiff became paralyzed, he or she may need to hire personal caregivers or home cleaning services.

By comparison, punitive damages are meant not only to compensate the victim, but also to punish the defendant’s wrongdoing. Therefore, punitive damages are generally only ordered in cases where the defendant acted with extreme cruelty, negligence, or recklessness.

There is no ceiling or “cap” on compensatory damages in the state of New Jersey. Punitive damages are capped at the higher of either $350,000 or five times the compensatory award.